Rufolo Rants: The Howling Tower - Bear Kingdom#1 by Michael Coleman

Oh Mikey, how did you go from writing Carnegie nominated teenage novels to The Great Escape meets Winnie the Pooh? Actually that’s a bit far, Winnie the Pooh doesn’t deserve to be compared to a book this bad.

So it’s about a boy called Benjamin Wildfire on the run in a world ruled by cave bears who live a bit like how people lived in the middle ages. Yeah, it sounds silly, but I didn’t think it was a terrible idea. This could be pretty intense tale of survival and I had faith in Coleman to make it gritty and serious, without being too vulgar or graphic.

Sadly the story is not so much Bear Grylls as just unbearable boredom; I apologise that was terrible.

No, there’s virtually no forests or wilderness, no thrilling chase or suspense, instead Ben just gets caught almost as soon as he escapes from his bear owner Mrs Haggard – seriously, the names get worse – and ends up in the pound with a bunch of other human children.

Admittedly there is some excitement as they plan their escape, but the book doesn’t have the pacing or writing to make the very dull titular tower interesting at all.

So, the story isn’t great, but what about the characters? Well the main hero is one of the blandest I’ve ever read; there’s just nothing memorable about him apart from his red hair and cool name. This sort of thing really annoys me – never mind whether or not we need more strong female characters, gingers are slowly disappearing! They deserve better representation than this!

The side characters are just as bad. Benjamin basically acts as a guard dog for his bear owner and when he escapes he meets a human girl called Mops who is kept as a pet and is running away out of boredom – something we all feel whenever she starts talking. In fact, this little know-it-all is worse than that, she’s just so vain and irritating and annoying! Mops is about as insufferable as Bonnie Langford in Doctor Who!

Then there’s another side character called Spike with the stupidest voice ever. He’s like the secret lovechild of Catherine Tate and Crocodile Dundee.

As for the actual bears… yeah the names do get worse. They’re called things like Doctor Calcupod and Inspector Dictatum and you’ll probably have guessed that they speak English as well. There’s no language, nothing interesting, they just say English words in the wrong order, that’s it! These bears are so dim-witted and the cheesy childish way they’re written just makes them the least threatening antagonists I’ve ever read.

I know I’m not the target audience, I know it’s a children’s book, but kids deserve better than this. With the bears performing cruel experiments on human children, the story is actually pretty dark, but it’s all just needlessly dumbed down and sugar-coated over when books by the likes of Roald Dahl and J.K Rowling have proved that children’s books can be dark and scary and still be child-friendly, that they can have layers. Apart from a pretty good twist towards the end, The Howling Tower is just an insulting monotonous slog.

So guys, have any of you read the Bear Kingdom series? Did any of you like it? And what would you say is the most insulting children’s book you’ve ever read?

Rufolo Reviews: The Machine Gunners by Robert Westall

Everyone loves the Goonies right? Now imagine it were British and set during World War Two – you’d just about have The Machine Gunners.

All the kids in the northern coastal town of Garmouth collect souvenirs from German air raids, mostly just shrapnel, but when a Luftwaffe pilot is shot down, 14-year-old Chas McGill uses his father’s saw to steal the entire machine gun with over 200 rounds of live ammunition.

 Come on, that’s just awesome! (Well, it is for us British kids, for any American readers that sort of thing’s the norm.)

So Chas and his friend Cem, who’s sort of like an unhygienic socially retarded scarecrow (I’m autistic, so I’m allowed to say that) and a very tough slightly awesome ginger called Audrey end up smuggling the weapon from place to place, outwitting the hapless police forces whilst the school bully starts to suspect and fancies the machine gun for his own collection. Then when Chas and the gang stand up to him to protect a wealthy but lonely classmate, their new friend lets them turn his sizeable back garden into their own gun emplacement to fight the Germans themselves.

Despite being about kids, the book isn’t exactly kid-friendly. There’s some pretty intense action, particularly at the incredible climax and some brutal fight scenes that get bloody serious. I’m nearly seventeen and I found the violence pretty distressing when the perpetrators were so young, but it makes the book realistic and impactful enough to show what war can do to children.

And these child characters are just fantastic. Chas, like Simon in Westall’s other book The Scarecrows, can be quite snobbish and, at times, very cruel, but when he’s so smart, mischievous and conniving, you can’t help but like him and he really redeems himself. He’s brave, he has an enormous sense of justice and is immensely loyal to his friends.

The rest of the gang are just as interesting. They’re not always likeable, but let’s admit it, that’s not always the case with teenagers. It’s not just about them though; there’s time set aside for the adult characters: their teacher, the home guard and the police who are all very entertaining.

Admittedly Audrey starts off as a great tomboy until the boys basically put her in the kitchen, but I don’t think it’s a huge problem. As Westall argued himself, women’s lib didn’t really exist back in the forties and when the story could have been a strictly boys only adventure. With Audrey, any girls reading aren’t excluded becuse she's still strong in her own way.

The only thing I’d say is a big problem is the way the northern accents are written. The dialogue is very realistic as Westall didn’t shy away from using swear words, but with the adults and one boy who’s Scottish, there are quite a few odd spellings for the pronunciations and it can be distracting.

Overall though, it’s damn near perfect, suitably dark and gritty yet a fun and relatable story at the same time. It's a book of high calibre, deserving of its classic status and Carnegie Award and could go down a treat for anyone enjoying Netflix’s Stranger Things at the moment!

So guys, have any of you read The Machine Gunners and if so, what did you think of it? Also, what’s your favourite sort of boys-will-be-boys story complete with a bit of crude language and violence?

Rufolo Reviews: The Secrets of Drearcliff Grange School by Kim Newman

One of the most imaginative books of the year, it would seem that Miss Peregrine's has spawned its own Harry Potter meets X-Men subgenre, giving us some of the best action heroines of the generation.

When fourteen year-old Amelia Thomsett is caught sleeping on the ceiling, her unpleasant conformist mother sends her to a special boarding school so her daughter will be cured of her supernatural powers. However, Drearcliff Grange is a school for unusual girls where they're encouraged to use and improve their unique abilities, but students are disappearing and there are dark goings-on behind the scenes.

The book doesn't disappoint with a wide range of intriguing superpowers that make for some exciting action sequences. The whole novel has a great sense of mystery, dark in atmosphere, but fun and quirky at the same time. The story pulls you in with twists and turns along the way, but this book is particularly strong on character. Amy is probably the best female action heroine I've ever read. Whilst so many heroines in YA are loudmouthed teenage tearaways, a trope growing increasingly grating (Rebel of the Sands, I'm looking at you), Amy is just really polite. In situations where many of us would probably swear, she exclaims "buttered crumpets!" instead and even when she has to be mean to people, she's just matter-of-fact about it. She's not just a caricature though; she becomes so much more confident over the course of the book, going on a journey a lot of readers can relate to and little details like her keen interest in moths just make her that bit more human.
Her friends are great too, including a loveable, more boisterous big ginge and a boxing, smoking Indian princess. The bullies are especially cruel and some of the staff and teachers are very charismatic. Admittedly there are a LOT of characters coming and going in one book and at times it is can be hard to keep track of them all. This goes hand-in-hand with the book's other problem: pacing. It gets off to a good start, giving a brief tour of the school before there's a kidnapping, an exciting rescue and a shocking twist. Over a third of the way through, the pace changes quite suddenly, taking its time to be dark, eerie and psychological. It's done well, but it just feels a bit iffy and then there's the problem with the sheer number of minor characters. I just wanted some of them to have more time to themselves. (Mr Newman please take the hint and write a sequel!)

Despite these two problems, this book is one of the best I've read in 2016 with mystery, style and truly memorable heroines. Unusual, weird and wonderful indeed.

M y Summer Reading of 2016

Well after I finished my GCSEs, I had nearly three months of holidays - need I say more? Come on, that's awesome! Sure on a wider scale nothing particularly good has happened this year, the news mainly consisting of ISIS attacks, and celebrity deaths, but for me, this has been one of the best years of my life! Over the Summer, I did indeed bake a couple of times (the first for charity, the second to celebrate my pretty solid GCSE results), I met plenty of babes and as you can see here, read a lot of books

Arranged Worst to Best From Bottom to Top (actually it's a bit random, but have a list anyway.) 

The Worst:

The Sherwood Hero by Alison Prince:

Probably one of the dullest books I've ever read with largely unmemorable characters and a story cleverly structured for a big reveal that just disappoints with a mediocre ending. Wait, this won an award?

Finn's Folly by Ivan Southall:

Without a doubt, the most depressing book I've ever read, but in a good way really - unlike Sherlock Hero, it actually evokes emotions other than boredom. I was just so emotionally invested in some of the characters including a great portrayal of an autistic person, but a cringey insta-love takes away from the book's realism and the ending - or rather the absence of an ending - it's so terrible I can't talk about it!

Enjoyable Stories:

Warriors of the Balance by Samsun Lobe:

I feel a little guilty putting this one quite low on the list because I met the author and he was really nice. The characterisation could have been better, but we get an entertaining team of aliens and a rather likeable human. The space politics was largely lost on me and some of the action wasn't that involving, but the world-building is very good, the fighting is intense in parts and the story is quite fast-paced and energetic - a fun romp.

The Worst Witch Goes to Sea by Jill Murphy:

Because I want to appear sophisticated to the ladies, I read this one mainly in the privacy of my own home. The Worst Witch books have wonderful charm that leads to a pretty consistent quality throughout the series, but for some reason fourth instalments in book series never really do anything for me - it just feels like it's just another Worst Witch book. Apart from exploring the relationship between Mildred and Tabby (in as much depth as you can with a cat) it doesn't bring much new to the table and is largely predictable. Her dimwitted cat is really cute in this though...

Rebel of the Sands by Alwyn Hamilton:

It's clear to see why this recent debut was something of a hit. Its gorgeous cover, interesting style and ethnic diversity all make it something else, but Amani, despite some pretty good character development, basically comes down to the fairly typical loudmouthed teenage tearaway, a character we've seen done before and done better. Some of the writing is pretty good and the villains were quite good, but the in-your-face romance that just comes off as a far too obvious attempt to appeal to teenage girls.

Jeremy Hatcher, Dragon Hatcher by Bruce Coville:

I loved Bruce Coville's My Alien Classmate series when I was ten, but reading one of his books years later (when I'm legally an adult, but not bothered) just feels like meeting an old schoolfriend and finding they're actually quite dull. I reckon Bruce, when planning this, went "okay, boy gets given a dragon egg, it hatches... how do I pad this out for about two hundred pages?" The plot is quite poor and the attempts at romance and slapstick comedy fail pretty miserably. Admittedly, I'm being a bit harsh on this one. The likeable, somewhat interesting protagonist, a surprisingly poignant teacher-student relationship and a pretty cool dragon redeem it. Not to mention, the illustrations in this edition are gorgeous.

Really Good Stories:

Return to the Lost World by Steve Barlow and Steve Skidmore:

Nazis, gliders, dinosaurs, oh my! It's basically a teenage Indianna Jones with prehistoric animals and is as tongue-in-chic and silly as it sounds. Luke and Nick make a pretty good team as they race some pretty solid antagonists to Conan Doyle's Lost World with some huge plot twists along the way. There's a great blend of action and comedy that makes enough room to develop the characters.

Horned Helmet by Henry Treece:

At times, as emotionally wrenching as some of Treece's other historical fiction, this one didn't have characters as memorable and the story just seemed a bit too similar to Viking's Dawn and again, the illustrations aren't the best. It's certainly not a bad book, with some great writing, but it struggles to live up to expectation.

The Spud from Outer Space by Susan Gates:

From a decent book that didn't live up to my expectations, to a book that exceeded them by a huge margin. Your first impression of this book is sheer ugliness, but once it gets going, it's brilliantly non-stop. Susan Gates is a really good author and she just keeps throwing all these mad creative ideas at you, anything to stop you falling asleep. Most of the main protagonists are unlikeable or just disposable, but that way there seems to be more chance of them dying than the near-perfect kids in most children's books, so it's still a fun and exciting read.

Unbelievable! by Paul Jennings:

Though not quite as good as Thirteen Unpredictable Tales, Paul Jennings still delivers an anthology with a variety of stories, some of which are weird and wonderful, some of which are funny in a more ordinary way and they all have his signature huge twist. One of these short stories, The Busker, was the first fiction to make me feel strong emotions for a pet in years and that one really stood out.

Sisters of the Sword #1 The Warrior's Way by Maya Snow:

Basically Mulan only Japanese and done as a revenge story. There's exciting action, intense training, some pretty good character development and plenty of insight into the culture and social history of Japan. It's entertaining and educational, just not quite as good as Children's Crusade or The Fire of Ares.

Torchwood #3 Slow Decay by Andrew Lane:

Although Lane isn't great with dialogue, he does get the members of the Torchwood team right in this psychological, enjoyably gory story. There are certainly creative ideas, some decent action and some beautiful description.

The Best

The Dare by John Boyne:

John Boyne is doing what he does best here and as the Boy in the Striped Pyjamas haters from school will probably have guessed, it's a bleak story seen through the eyes of a child. About a family that starts to fall apart after the mother hits a small boy with her car, this short story could have turned out way too much like a soap opera. Thankfully it doesn't - the focus stays in the right places, there's twists and, like Blitz Boys it's proof that you don't need big words for big emotion.

Predator's Gold by Phillip Reeve:

Okay, mainly down to a slightly grating love triangle, it's not as good as the first Mortal Engines book. That said, Tom and Hester are still really good characters (most of the time at least) having overcome some of the problems they had in the first book, yet remaining flawed and human characters. The new ones are good as well, with some genuinely sweet people to some believable and despicable villains. The world-building is just as imaginative, the action is perhaps even better than before and the twists and turns of the story just make it a great roller-coaster of a read.

Super Zeroes by Rhiannon Lassiter

For some reason I doubt it was coincidental that this book was published just a year after The Incredibles came out. That said, it certainly brings something new to the superhero-parody subgenre with the ordinary children of superheroes and supervillains getting together to bring down their egotistical, neglectful parents and take over the world themselves. This imaginative and childlike concept and Tony Ross's Quentin Blake-esque illustrations makes it great fun for kids of any age.

Rooftoppers by Katherine Rundell:

Another nominee for the Carnegie Award, far more deserving than The Bunker Diaries, this book is lovely and child-friendly and genuinely heartfelt. Rundell tells the story of a strange tomboyish girl searching for her mother on the streets of Paris, with help from some semi-wild homeless orphans, beautifully. It's no secret that France has some great scenery, but this author really brings it to life, along with the truly memorable characters, with her gorgeous writing. Even if its not as deep as she perhaps thinks it is, it's still a real treat.

Bad Dreams by Anne Fine:

I can really believe Mel is based on Anne Fine's eleven year old self as she's perhaps one of the most relatable main characters in a book I've ever read. I'm not a big fan of fantasy books where the supernatural elements are so subtle they're barely visible, but in this book, it works so well with really interesting psychic powers and an involving mystery that's simply told. Plus, the illustrations are really nice too.

Harper and the Sea of Secrets by Cerrie Burnell:

This was one of about a dozen short books given away to children for free for World Book Day (with the tokens all schools give out.) It's great that a book as short and sweet, as imaginative and non-intimidating as this one is so readily and easily available to children across the country. Just little bits of fun ideas like using an upside-down umbrella as a boat (in reality an ideal way to fall in the sea) are enough to get small children into reading with some lovely descriptive writing and great illustrations with the charm of Lauren Child's.

The Secrets of Drearcliff Grange School by Kim Newman:

I'm surprised I managed to finish this one with my roommates on NCS stealing and hiding it all the time. Not that I minded, it made this dark quirky book last even longer. Set in a boarding school for unusual girls, many of whom have supernatural powers, there's no shortage of mystery, scares, imagination and action heroines so memorable and so immensely loveable, they need to be in more books. (Mr Newman, please take the hint and write a sequel!) On top of all that, the nineteen twenties style, costume and great language is the lovely rich and creamy icing on the cake. It's definitely a YA book that needs more attention.

And the best book I read all Summer is...

ratatatatat (that's a drumroll)

Skyline by Patricia Schonstein Pinnock:

This is a real hidden gem, this book also deserves more attention. It's loosely based on the author's own life, about a teenage girl living in central Cape Town during Nelson Mandela's term as president of South Africa. In truth, there's not really much of a plot, it's all just really character heavy. We spend the entire time meeting refugees and people from so many different minorities all with their own stories and it's surprising just how emotional it is. As well as experiencing all these quite raw feelings, the beautiful imagery, created by Pinnock's poetic writing make it feel like a walk through an art gallery more than a story. This one could be quite Marmite, but in this case, I'm definitely a Marmite lover.

Rufolo Reviews: Sisters of the Sword #1 The Warrior's Path by Maya Snow

The best thing about visiting my nan: seeing my little cousins
The second best thing about visiting my nan: Taking them on a tour of all the charity shops in a DYING town and finding cheap books - like this one!
I'd say this is one of the most exciting historical fiction books I've ever read. It's about two princesses called Kimi and Hana whose father, a Samurai lord gets assassinated by a power-hungry, back-stabbing (literally) rival. They're forced to flee from their home and soon arrive at a jito, a school for training young boys to be Samurai, so they change their identities and from then on, it's like Mulan as a revenge story - only Japanese, obviously.
It's a pretty good story; because it's set largely in this school, you really see the characters improving and developing as they train. I quite liked Kimi and Hana, they're at least well-outlined characters, the sister-sister relationship was nice and I think Maya Snow deliberately leaves room for them develop throughout the series. The other characters are really good as well, if not better. Master Goku who runs the jito is one of the best teachers in a book and the villains are quite complex as well, they certainly evoke emotion from the reader.
The action sequences are really intense, it's quite violent for a book that seems aimed for children around twelve, less even. I'm not against that though, as plenty of kids that age are reading the Hunger Games or the Enemy or even playing Grand Theft Auto.

Anyway, back to the review, there's some good insight to Japanese culture and social history, the only real negatives I can think of is the meditating. There were twists and drama and a few somewhat complex characters, but I think there were times when this book just wasn't AS deep as the author thought it was and when I look back and compare it with books like Viking's Dawn and The Fire of Ares, it's still good, but not great historical fiction.
That said, there IS potential for this series to go deep and character heavy. This book is high on excitement and an enjoyable story, entertaining and educational - 7/10.

H.I.V.E.: Higher Institute of Villainous Education

I read this one for two reasons: I fancied reading some action-heavy children's books in order to get better at writing them and because I'd bought Rogue without realising it was the fifth instalment in this series and felt kinda silly.

It's about an enormous school hidden in a bit of a knock-off of Thunderbird Island that trains kniving, mischevious, ingenious children to become James Bond-style supervillains. Man, that's a great concept.
I had something of a journey with this book; when I first started reading it, I was shocked, worried I'd be in for the most disappointing book ever. In the first chapter, these "child characters" were awful! They spoke more like androids than actual kids. At first the school and its villainous teachers seemed kinda boring, but be patient with this book because the more you see of the H.I.V.E, the better it gets.
The book lives up to its premise, introducing countless memorable villains with plenty of laughs, a fairly exciting story and some pretty good action. The young child-villains are all quite likeable characters. Otto is a great anti-hero, in my opinion better than Artemis Fowl. He and his friends all have really cool backstories. Admittedly I wish Walden saved some of it for later on in the series, so that I'd get to know the characters well to evoke more of a reaction when I saw where they came from, but Otto's best friend, Wing Fachu has a lot of mystery surrounding him, so I'm looking forward to the next book.
To top it all off, this book has one of the best climaxes I've ever read in a children's book - the action is just so intense and yet still fun and exciting, keeping to the tongue-in-chic tone of the rest of the book. It's better than Stormbreaker any day.

Rufolo Reviews: A Witch in Time by Terry Deary I was overjoyed when I got this one from Book Cycle at Exeter Respect Festival. Being a huge fan of Horrible Histories, I was really looking forward to reading one of Terry Deary’s stories, but this one fails to bring the past to life. Don't get me wrong, it's a decent children's book, but it could have been so much better! So a girl from the Middle Ages is accused of being a witch, then discovers that there is actual witchcraft in the village and a book of Black Magic transports her to the nineteen eighties where she meets a girl her age hiding from school bullies. They help with one another's problems, travel back and forth in time and have to defeat the villains. Let's start with the positives; Sharon, the girl from 1987 is a pretty well-developed character. You can sympathise with her, she has her flaws and she changes as a person as the book goes on. Some of the villains are quite sinister as well, but the other characters are just okay. Same applies for the writing - not great, not terrible, just okay for a children's book. The story is fine, but it's not especially exciting or anything. You know what this book could have used? Some humour! I mean, who better to write a fun children's book with great time-travel jokes than the author of Horrible Histories?! He just misses opportunities to make the reader laugh. Admittedly this is one of his earlier books and it's not a completely dry read, the characters are likeable and there is a sense of dark intrigue. In places it is kind of fun, just not funny. So why three stars instead of just two? 1: There's a nice surprise at the end. 2: A ten year-old girl I know, who wasn't much of a reader, was very interested in this book, so I gave it to her in exchange for a hug. :)

Me and my fellow reader Daphne sorting through the books at Mind. She's a lot more ruthless when it comes to rejecting and decoding books than I am, but that's not always a bad thing as sometimes I get a whole bunch for free!
Books that don't sell or are creased and slightly damaged are collected and sent to developing countries.
Admittedly, sometimes I laugh and wonder how the people there feel about the random selection that are sent. I picture some African boy making the most of a Doctor Who Annual from 2008 whilst their parents puzzle over "The Sunday Philosophy Club." Not that we should underestimate them though! It's great to know that through our shared love of books with our donors and customers, we're either raising money for a charity that helps people with mental health problems - an issue close to many people's hearts at the moment - or contributing to people's education around the world.#

I'll miss my time at Mind, but I feel the experience I've gained and the people I've met will stay with me and influence my outlook on life.

With thanks to my manager Fabiola and all the other lovely volunteers.

My window display of cool books at the Mind shop, Cowick Street Exeter - hoping to attract some more teenage customers!

Top 10 Disappointments of 2016 so far

The year has had its ups and downs and for this list, it's the downs. Not all of these books were terrible, but none of them lived up to their hype. I know full well that writing a book isn't easy and I kind of feel like I'm betraying fellow writers, so if I get my book published, you're all very welcome to SLAM it if you don't like it. My opinion, obviously, if you enjoyed any of these, great, let's just get this over with.

10: Numbers by Rachel Ward

I feel bad about putting this one on the list because a friend of mine and my stepsisters recommended it to me. Then again, they gave Twilight five stars. About a girl who sees a person's date of death the moment she meets them, this book was hardly going to be a bundle of laughs, but did it need to be as depressing and pessimistic as it was? Although it has some pretty good characters, I didn't feel for the romance and the book was fairly predictable.

9: Doctor Who: Engines of War by George Mann

I was very excited for this book as it's the first story that focuses solely on the War Doctor, played by John Hurt. His character is well-done and he has some chemistry with his one-off companion, but the action just wasn't that intense. The story moves fairly quickly and there were some creative dalek designs, but the alien planets are all mundane and the same.

8: Gregor the Overlander by Suzanne Collins

Yeah, I know quite a few people like this series. It's not bad, a decent middle grade book with relatable characters and a few laughs, but whilst Percy Jackson and Harry Potter very cleverly built up to the magical worlds, this book quite literally dives right in. The world-building could have been a bit more impressive. Suzanne Collins just makes vermin a lot bigger, give them a bit of a culture and... that's about it. I guess this book just wasn't for me.

7: Stormbreaker by Anthony Horowitz

Probably gonna get a lot of hate for this, but Horowitz's teen spy novel rather lacks fun for a middle grade book and Alex Rider is such a boring character! We never see him talk to his friends or father figure, so there isn't much opportunity to connect with him. The villain is a bit too over-the-top, not in a good way, and there's a whole bunch of spy cliches. On the plus side, some of the action sequences are very exciting and this book had one of the best villain deaths I've ever read. Even if it's a little dated, it will probably keep a ten year-old entertained.

6: Lily Quench and the Dragon of Ashby by Natalie Jane Prior

I saw this and thought "this could be great! A girl-power Australian equivalent of How To Train Your Dragon!" Turned out to be just an okay children's book. The characters are two-dimensional at best, the world could have been more imaginative and there's a random romance needlessly rushed in. To the book's credit, the story has a lot going on and there's a twist I didn't even see coming, but Natalie Jane Prior sort of tries to get seven year-olds interested in the world of business and fails. The two best things about this book are the detailed descriptive writing and the simple illustrations, but they don't quite go together.

5: Lost Worlds by Andrew Lane

As much as I enjoyed Young Sherlock Holmes and meeting Andrew Lane, I wasn't that impressed with this book of his. A wealthy, paralysed teenage boy sends a team of misfits in search of cryptid creatures rumoured to exist in remote parts of the world. Sounds good enough, but the book has painfully slow pacing. Almost halfway through, these characters aren't even in the same country as the creature they're looking for! Although Lane can create some good characters, he struggles to give them a voice, making the dialogue boring to read, and although some of the action scenes are good, some get way too technical and difficult to follow.

4: Kindred Spirits by Rainbow Rowell

I got this after hearing all the hype on booktube about Rowell's novel, Fangirl. This short story is about three people waiting in a queue to see Star Wars: The Force Awakens and is as BORING as it sounds! The biggest dilemma in this book is struggling to find a toilet. The main protagonist is sweet and funny, but the jokes are very hit-and-miss and I did not feel for the romance at all.

3: Mortal Instruments: City of Bones by Cassandra Clare

More like Snoreful Instruments: Sitting of Groans. For a book that gives Buffy the Vampire Slayer something of a Hogwarts education, it's very slow and very boring. A friend asked me if the book was good, I said it was getting boring, I passed it to him and he took one look and said "yeah that does sound boring." The characters start out as likeable enough, but the grating love-triangles are so infuriating! Though there's imagination there, the bright and colourful designs that would go down well in soft sci-fi, distract from the dark and gritty urban fantasy and like many YA books, it gets very caught up in its own jargon. Wow, that's three popular series I've just torn apart. I wasn't that impressed with the TV show either. Is it me or does Clary look like Daphne from Scooby Doo?

2: Snow White, Black Heart by Jacqueline Rayner

I genuinely feel sad putting Jacqueline Rayner on this list. Despite the cover it's not obvious Twilight offspring, but this book was bombastically bland! The writing wasn't scary, the story was predictable and the characters had nothing to them. Completely wasted potential.

1: I Am Number Four by Pittacus (really?) Lore

(Loud huffy noise of exasperation,) this book was awful! It's basically Twilight only for guys (guylight if you will) and aliens instead of vampires, following the life of our truly memorable hero - John Smith. The blonde, gorgeous perfect protagonists have some cringey insta-love and fairly convoluted superpowers. Like a lot of the books on this list, a big problem is pacing! I mean this book has some threatening antagonists (who are suspiciously similar to the aliens in Torchwood: Trace Memory), but they don't show up properly until over halfway through the story, and even then for a tiny bit! In the meantime, there's a non-threatening school bully who look like John Travolta in Grease. Oh, and the main character and his girlfriend go to a party hosted by the guy who tried to assault her! Why? It's not like Back to the Future, this is 2010! At times this book is shockingly sexist and the characters may have been high half the time. In parts, it's a big self-indulgence for the author who is writing under a pseudonym that's also the name of the leader of a planet, but then again, I may do something similar in some of my books one day. The book's climax is actually pretty intense and action-packed, but it goes way over-the-top and is too much, too late.

So guys, did you read any of these books? What did you think of them and what books have left you a bit miffed so far this year?

Frankie's Top 10 Best Books of 2016 So Far

Halfway through the year already! I've finished all my exams, left school and already read 42 books! Here is a countdown of my top 10 best so far!

10: Nothing Scares Me by Gene Kemp

A dark and mysterious children's book by a Carnegie Award-winning author, it's a shame Nothing Scares Me has faded into obscurity. Following the life of a psychic girl pressured into using her powers to find out about a missing schoolmate, the book has child characters as believable as those on Tracy Beaker, insight into warring youth cultures and a slow build-up to a terrifying intense climax.

9: Spot the Difference by Juno Dawson

Though the story is similar to Mean Girls, this is a surprisingly enjoyable chick-lit - with well-rounded characters, brilliant dialogue and good wit, Spot the Difference reflects British teen life brilliantly. On top of which, the short story ends with a powerful feminist message.

8: 13 Unpredictable Tales by Paul Jennings

Don't be put off by the hideous CGI. This book is as surprising as the title would imply with a terrific twist in each short story with everything from mad inventions to geometric dragons. Some are whacky and hilarious, some heartfelt and emotional. Some are weird and outlandish, others funny and ordinary. Best of all this book does something not all children's books do - it genuinely makes you feel twelve again.

7: The Fire of Ares by Michael Ford

Though it may look like a cheap Percy Jackson knock-off, this children's novel is a brilliant recent work of historical fiction. Following the life of a young Helot slave struggling to save his sick mother and finding his father's family, the main protagonist, Lysander, is easy to route for and sympathise with. At times, enjoyably macho with brutal fight scenes, others, an emotional voyage of self-discovery, The Fire of Ares is full of educational value and moral ideas.

6: Mortal Engines by Phillip Reeve

With its surreal vision of a distant post-apocalyptic future, Phillip Reeve's sci-fi novel has all the elements of a great adventure story. With truly memorable and complex characters, vast and vibrant imagination and exciting action, Mortal Engines is as much fun as Star Wars.

5: Blitz Boys by Linda Newberry

Despite its short length and unappealing cover, Blitz Boys is a surprisingly moving children's book that doesn't sacrifice character development and good fun for a history lesson. With realistic dialogue to reflect class differences  and how children actually behave and showing historical issues to give young readers food for thought, Linda Newberry proves that you don't need big words for big emotion.

4: Viking's Dawn by Henry Treece

Another of Treece's forgotten classics, Viking's Dawn has wonderful descriptive writing that modern authors struggle to reproduce. Though the story may not be one of historical significance, the layered characters and powerful story make the book a thoughtful, thoroughly enjoyable read.

3: Percy Jackson and the Sea of Monsters by Rick Riordan

Though perhaps not quite as good as its predecessor, Sea of Monsters is a brilliant and easy-to-read middle grade book. Cleverly incorporating Greek myth into the modern day yet again, the children's novel provides laughs, action and brilliant heroes.

2: Journey to the River Sea by Eva Ibbotson

Another gem of historical fiction, Journey to the River Sea is a wonderful read. About an orphan girl called Maia who has to move to Brazil and live with her horrible, snobbish relatives, the Carters, it's a story of adapting to new places, making new friends and spirit of adventure. With its beautiful settings, loveable characters and emotional story, it's a children's book that is bound to stay with the reader.

Honourable Mentions:

Young Sherlock Holmes: Death Cloud by Andrew Lane, Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs, H.I.V.E by Mark Walden, Eve: The Awakening by Jenna Moreci, Department 19 by Will Hill and The Moon is Down by John Steinbeck.

1: The Hunted by Charlie Higson

The penultimate book in Higson's The Enemy series does not disappoint. Set in a world where adults are savage and diseased, leaving children and teenagers to fend for themselves, The Hunted earns top spot with its intense action sequences, cleverly constructed plotlines and perhaps the most incredible climax I've ever read! Even if the rest of the book had been dull, the climax would have redeemed it, but everything else was so good!

Between the blood and gore, there's a surprising amount of humanity with complicated characters including beautifully written children.

So, what books have been your favourites in 2016 so far?

Frank Rufolo Reviews: Snow White, Black Heart by Jacqueline Rayner

Though it showed promise, this short story was a pretty big disappointment from an author I love.

Frank Rufolo Reviews: City of Bones (Mortal Instruments #1)

Book Review: The Fire of Ares (Spartan Warrior #1)

It's easy to mistake this book for a cheap Percy Jackson knock-off, but it's actually a pretty good modern work of historical fiction.
One of the first good thing I noticed was that I really cared about the protagonist, Lysander. He's working especially hard to earn food for his really sick mother, even taking a whipping from his sadistic overseer for her. His friend Timeon is supportive and loyal and quite likeable. As the book goes on, Lysander finds out more about his father's family who he's never met; there's some really good character development. Even the bully characters have redeeming features.

The story is fairly intriguing and the drama and twists really surprised me. The description was fairly good. I've read a bit of Henry Treece and classics like his are hard to live up to when it comes to the writing, but with the Mediterranean setting you get a fairly nice picture in your head anyway. That said, when the author describes a character's appearance he does it quite well. On top of that, the fight scenes were pretty well-written. Reading them, I winced because there was a surprising amount of blood and brutality, it SOUNDED painful!
If you're a parent, don't let that put you off. There is a lot of educational value. The author used to write non-fiction history books, so there are no big inaccuracies.

If I had to find fault in it, Timeon could have had an interesting character arc, but he did seem a little bland. Also, the book's ending lost a bit of its brutal realism and rather let it down. There was a big reveal and a really good dramatic climax between just two characters, but then a big uprising got squeezed in at the last minute and ended with a big "two wrongs don't make a right, make peace" speech.
To be honest though, I'd rather have an unrealistic ending than a bad beginning or a mundane middle. It's a really good middle-grade book, better than Alex Rider. I got more than what I paid for and I want to try out some of Michael Ford's other books. Give it a read.

Frank Rufolo Reviews: Terrier (Beka Cooper #1) by Tamora Pearce

Frank Rufolo Reviews: Weirdo's War by Michael Coleman

Frank Rufolo Reviews: The Summer Sacrifice by Holly Hinton

So long, Louise Rennison. The author of brilliant books including Angus, Thongs and Full-Frontal Snogging has sadly passed away. Some books we love so much, they make us cry, but many would say it's harder to make us laugh. That's just what you did Louise x

Top 10 Rising Authors to Look Out For

Not every author can be as famous as J.K Rowling, Jacqueline Wilson or Michael Morpurgo. Not every series can be as huge as Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Percy Jackson or the Hunger Games. These lesser-known authors however, are just as good and could be on the way up.

10: Holly Hinton

This young dramatist who never planned on writing a book, recently published her YA debut, The Summer Sacrifice in 2014. An imaginative dystopian fantasy with intriguing ideas, likeable characters and a quirky, enjoyable writing style, though it takes time for the reader to get into, the first instalment in The Master Game Series does show promise.

9: Sonya Hartnett

One of Australia's most acclaimed authors, Sonya Hartnett perhaps comes close to being to famous for this list. Hartnett published her first book at just fifteen and shows no sign of stopping. Having written gently told stories of the world wars, The Silver Donkey and Children of the King (perfect for anyone looking for a change from Michael Morpurgo) to dark and mesmerising YA novels such as Surrender, Hartnett is definitely a talented and versatile writer.

8: L.A Jones

This young author had a clever, original idea for her debut. Her middle grade fantasy-horror The Nightmare Factory sure is a fun read. It's at times, dark cruel and gory, at others, fun, imaginative and quick-witted. L.A Jones has certainly made a good start.

7: Andrew Lane

Andrew Lane's most notable series is Young Sherlock Holmes, where through the intriguing story told in a dark and gripping writing style, we see how the rather ordinary fourteen year-old Sherlock becomes the brilliant detective we all know and love. He's also a sci-fi author, having written Doctor Who novels and recently has started an interesting new series Lost Worlds.

6: Alex Scarrow

Another British sci-fi author, Alex Scarrow's Timeriders series - about three teenagers from different historical eras, given the task of stopping time travel destroying history - is violent and action-packed, with a clever plotline and characters that felt real. Despite some of the books being a little disappointing, his new series, The Legend of Ellie Quin has readers excited.

5: Derek Landy

Though his fantasy series Skulduggery Pleasant isn't as big as Percy Jackson or Artemis Fowl, it is an underground phenomenon. About a teenage girl and a skeleton man in a suit fighting crime and bending the elements in a dark magical underworld across an alternative Britain, Landy's series has exciting action, wild imagination and laugh-out-loud humour.

4: Jenna Moreci

This self-published, Californian model-turned-author (yeah, hear that Sarah J. Maas? There's a prettier YA author in town (but looks don't matter)) knows her stuff. Giving expert writing advice online and marketing her book brilliantly, many readers were excited for her YA debut, Eve: The Awakening. A dystopian sci-fi novel full of brutal fight scenes, heavy backstory and a sense of mystery, driven forward by a fast plot and a strong, believable female character, her first book doesn't disappoint. Oh, and don't worry; she leaves out love-triangles.

3: Bali Rai

If you're looking for realistic fiction, British-Asian author Bali Rai is your guy. Having written cultural fiction and football stories for many years, but to little recognition, his most recent book, Web of Darkness is perhaps his best. A creepy, psychological teenage novel that warns of the dangers of the internet, Web of Darkness ensnares the reader on every page. With relatable characters able to make the reader care, you'll gasp at every plot twist.

2: Rachel Campbell Jonston

A poetry critic for The Guardian for many years, Rachel Campbell Jonston's book The Child's Elephant is by no means old-fashioned or boring. At first a wonderful story of a boy who adopts a baby elephant after its parents are killed by poachers, the book takes a serious turn, exploring the harsh and tragic reality of life as a child soldier. It's perfect for fans of Michael Morpurgo who also recommends the book. With her first fiction novel nominated for the Carnegie Award, those who enjoyed it can't wait for her next great book.

1: Charlie Higson

Author of the Young Bond series, thrilling teen spy books far superior to Alex Rider, Higson recognised the one major flaw in the series: you always know the hero will survive. The Enemy series couldn't be more different. Set in a world where everyone over fourteen has become a raging, zombie-like "sicko," these books are completely unpredictable. With suspense, savage twists, thrilling chases and bloody and intense fights, the series has you fearing for the characters and on the edge of your seat. In amongst all the blood and gore, there's a surprising amount of humanity and multiple storylines all linking together. Even people who generally don't like zombie books enjoy this series. It's a masterpiece of modern storytelling and as it comes to an end, there's no knowing what Charlie Higson will write next.